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Bush Pre-Empted Balanced Oprah/CNN Show on Iraq
BUZZFLASH
READER COMMENTARY
by Pat Mulready
Bush pre-empted Oprah for no reason other than to stop her broadcast regarding Iraq and insert his own propaganda! The specifics are that Oprah is doing two shows this week, in conjunction with CNN, examining international and US opinion on a US invasion of Iraq. The first was today (Thursday, 2/6/03). In the Washington, DC, area Oprah is broadcast at 4:00 pm.
In the middle of the show a "Special News Report" notice came up, then Peter Jennings announced Bush would be making a MAJOR announcement on Iraq. Then Bush and Powell came in and Bush summarized what Powell had said yesterday at the UN. He spent about 20 minutes in all, leaving the last 10 minutes of the show, when NY Times reporter Tom Friedman was discussing the possible aftermath of an invasion.
The Oprah Show had clips of interviews from around the world -– apparently they had tried to find pro-war interviews but only got a few, except for Kuwaitis. This show was much more balanced than the shows she had done in the Fall which were more pro-Administration. The Administration would have known the content and timing of today’s show because it is broadcast live and/or in the morning in many markets such as Oprah’s home base in Chicago.
This was in such bad form I couldn't believe it! I called Harpo Studios in Chicago to let them know and they said they had received a lot of phone calls. I said Oprah should tell her audience what happened and that I thought Bush was purposely interfering with her show. They commented they didn't know what the reason was and in any case there was no way to prove anything. I told them I was going to write to BuzzFlash.com, Take Back the Media, and Media Whores.
Oprah has taken a lot of heat for interviewing Bush in 2000, letting him portray himself as a moderate. She did his administration a favor by letting them give their side during the Fall shows she did on Iraq, and for that matter trying to balance the anti-war content in today's show. What happened to the vaunted Bush loyalty? Or does Oprah now believe President Nelson Mandela and Dr. Maya Angelou more than Secretary Powell?
Perhaps BuzzFlash.com could get the transcript and publish the missing portion of the broadcast.
BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
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